Cabrera and Porcello help Tigers sweep Mets, 11-3

Detroit Tigers' Miguel Cabrera looks after his two-run home run during the first inning of an interleague baseball game against the New York Mets at Citi Field, Sunday, Aug. 25, 2013, in New York. (AP Photo/Seth Wenig)

NEW YORK (AP) — Miguel Cabrera hit a mammoth homer, Rick Porcello enjoyed a happy homecoming and the Detroit Tigers polished off a three-game sweep of the New York Mets with an 11-3 victory Sunday.

Andy Dirks put Detroit ahead with a two-run shot, and the AL Central leaders improved to 12-5 in interleague play. They have won 34 of 49 overall, the best mark in the American League since July 2.

Porcello (10-7) pitched seven innings of four-hit ball before the Tigers broke it open with a seven-run ninth. Dirks drew a bases-loaded walk during the outburst, which included RBI singles by Victor Martinez and Ramon Santiago.

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Travis d’Arnaud hit his first major league homer for the Mets, who have scored five runs during a four-game slide. They were outhit 33-7 in the final two games of the series.

Dillon Gee (9-9) lost for only the third time in 16 starts. He entered with a 2.27 ERA since May 30, the fourth-best mark in the majors during that span.

The 24-year-old Porcello, who grew up nearby in New Jersey, left 17 tickets for family and friends. He didn’t disappoint them, either, bouncing back from a loss to Minnesota and moving to 6-1 in his past nine outings.

The right-hander was hit hard in his only other start against the Mets on June 28, 2011, in Detroit. He pitched at Yankee Stadium a little more than two weeks ago, taking a no-decision in Detroit’s 4-3 defeat.

The Tigers were trailing by one when Victor Martinez singled off Gee to start the sixth. Dirks, who had three of Detroit’s 13 hits Saturday off All-Star ace Matt Harvey, drove an 0-1 delivery to right-center for his eighth home run.

Gee lasted six innings for the 11th straight start, the longest streak of his career, and 15th time in 16 outings. But he matched a season high by giving up 10 hits — five in the sixth.

Austin Jackson opened the game with a soft single and Cabrera launched a 2-0 pitch toward left field, where it cleared a railing in the second deck and sailed through a triangular opening beneath the restaurant windows.

The drive induced a collective gasp from the crowd of 32,084 on Tom Seaver bobblehead day and gave Cabrera 42 home runs to go with a major league-high 128 RBIs. Trying to become the first player to win consecutive Triple Crowns, he began the day five homers behind Baltimore slugger Chris Davis.

It was Cabrera’s second long ball of the series and 10th in 19 games. He finished 3 for 4 with a walk.

A broken-bat single by Daniel Murphy with two outs in the third cut it to 2-1, and d’Arnaud put the Mets ahead one inning later with a two-run shot that barely cleared the shortened fence in left-center.

A top prospect, d’Arnaud was acquired from Toronto in a trade for Cy Young Award winner R.A. Dickey last offseason. Before connecting, he was 1 for 16 in the big leagues since getting called up Aug. 16.

Considered the Mets’ catcher of the future, d’Arnaud popped out of the dugout to take a curtain call for fans hoping to see much more of the same in years to come.

Detroit reliever Bruce Rondon worked around a leadoff walk in the eighth to protect a 4-3 lead.

NOTES: Tigers SS Jose Iglesias sat out again with a sore left elbow after getting hit by a pitch Friday. He was replaced by Santiago, who had three hits and made two nice plays to rob Ike Davis. ... Martinez, normally a DH, started at catcher for the second time in the series. Martinez, who missed last season following knee surgery, was behind the plate Friday for the first time in more than two years. ... Detroit C Alex Avila (concussion symptoms) went 0 for 3 with a walk Saturday as the DH in his second rehab game for Triple-A Toledo. Avila did not report any headaches, the Tigers said. ... Detroit begins a seven-game homestand Monday night against Oakland. Manager Jim Leyland said he’ll probably rest 2B Omar Infante one day during the four-game series against the Athletics. ... Mets manager Terry Collins rested 3B Wilmer Flores (ankle) partly because he plans to play the rookie at 2B one day this week. Justin Turner started at third and grounded into two double plays. ... Rookie RHP Zack Wheeler (6-2, 3.49 ERA) faces All-Star lefty Cliff Lee (10-6, 3.16) on Monday night in the opener of a four-game series against Philadelphia.